shawhan



Patented May 14, 1889..

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSlieet 2.

J. F. SHAWHAN.

v ENGINE. I I v No. 403,150. Patented'May 14, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JABEA F. SHAWHAN, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES W. CARPENTER, OF SAME PLACE.

ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,150, dated May 14,1889.

Application filed March 23, 1888. Serial No. 268,266. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ABEA F. SHAWHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State 5 of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of rotary engines in which a series of reciprocating engines revolves around a common axis, with the piston-rods connected to a disk or head also revolving, but around an axis at an angle to that of the engines; and my invention consists of the construction and arrangement of I parts, hereinafter fully set forth, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a rotary engine embodying my improvements Fig. 2,

a transverse sectional elevation upon the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation illustrating a modification.

A shaft, A, revolving in bearings in the frame of the engine carries a series of single- 2 5 acting engines, Y. In the construction shown in Fig. 1 there are six engines, each consisting of a cylinder formed by boring out a barrel, E, secured to the shaft A, a trunk-piston, 4, in said cylinder, a connecting-rod, 5, se-

0 cured by a universal joint to the piston, and

a suitable valve device.

As shown, there is a cut-off ring, 11, fitting a chamber, 00, in the frame and bearing against the end of the barrel under the pressure of 3 5 steam admitted to said chamber against a shoulder or offset, o, of the ring, and an inlet port, 10, in said ring communicates with-a steam-inlet channel, 12, in the frame, and an outlet-port, 13, communicates with an exhausto passage, 14.. Each cylinder has a port, 9, and the ports 10 13 are so arranged that each port 9 will be brought to coincide with the inletport 10 as on the revolution of the barrel the engine passes the dead-center after the piston 5 is at the inner end of the cylinder, so that as the ports 9 10 coincide the steam is admitted, and is cut off as the port 9 passes beyond the port 10, the steam then acting expansively until the engine reaches the opposite deadcenter with the piston at the limit of its forward movement, when the port 9 will coincide with the port 13 and the steam will be exhausted from the cylinder.

The piston-rod 5 of each engine is connected at its end by a universal joint, 8, with a revolving disk or head, '7, set at an angle to the plane of the outer face of the barrel E, and, as shown, carried by a short shaft, B, turning in a bearing in a bracket, 3, secured to the frame, the shaft B being at right angles to the face of said head.

Owing to the relatively angular position of the head 7 and barrel E, the outward thrust of each piston as it begins its outward move ment and the engine passes from the deadcenter position tends to separate the opposite abutments or bearings-that is, the end of the cylinder of the engine and the universal joint 8-which results in imparting rotation to both the head 7 and barrel E, which travel together, bringing the engines successively into position to first receive and then discharge the motor-fluid during one half of a revolution of the barrel, the pistons returning to their inner position during the remaininghalf-revolution. Bythis means some of the engines are always in operating position, tending to impart revolution to the shaft A, which is the driving-shaft, and the force thus exerted (with a given pressure and uniform cut off) is a constant and uniform force, so that the revolution of the driving-shaft is very uniform and regular; and the engine is especially adapted for use in that class of apparatus for which a varying motor would be unserviceable.

To secure increased steadiness of motion and properly support the revolving head 7, I provide a universal bearing, 15, between the center of the head and the inner end of the 0 barrel. Thus the barrel or the shaft A carries a ball-bearing axially in line with the shaft, and the head 7 has a hub with a central socket to receive such ball-bearing.

To automaticallyregulate the flow of steam to the engines to insure a uniform speed as the work upon the engine varies, I use a governing-valve, *l, and a governor, I, connected to adjust such valve and driven by the engine. 10o.

The valve and governor may be constructed in diiferent ways and arranged in different positions.

In Fig. 1 the governor I consists of a revolving block, 16, mounted 011 a stud, 17, on the frame and carrying two L-shaped levers, 18, the long arms lying parallel to the block and the short arms extending into a peripheral groove in a disk, 19, carried by the sleeve 16, from which the governing-valve derives its movement. As the speed of revolution of the block 16 increases, the levers are thrown out, and as it decreases they are carried inward by the sliding action of the rod 20, moved by a spring, 21.

The governing-valve II (shown in Fig. 1) is a cylinder-valve with a peripheral groove, 22, sliding in a seat across the line of the steamchannel 12, which is throttled to a greater or less extent as the valve II changes its position under the action of the governor.

The governor is preferably driven from one of the shafts, as shown in Fig. 1. It is driven from the shaft B bymeans of a flexible shaft, 30, connected at one end to the end of the shaft B and at the other to the end of the block 16.

The frame may be constructed in any suitable manner; but I prefer to make it in the form of a case, 0, closed at one end with a bearing for the shaft A, and with a detachable cap or head, 2, at the opposite end, which supports the bracket 3, and all the parts of the engine, except the projecting portion of the driving-shaft, are inclosed in said case. By thus incasing the operating parts I protect them and avoid the danger of injury to persons liable to result when they are exposed, the escape of steam and volatile matters is avoided, thus permitting the use of the engine in chambers where the odors from an ordinary engine would prevent the use of the latter, while I am enabled to thoroughly lubricate all the parts by filling the case partly with oil, in which the revolving barrel turns, its revolution throwing out the oil to all parts of the chamber and over all the contents thereof. In the construction shown in Fig. 3 also all the parts are inclosed in a case-like frame; but in this case the positions of the parts are reversed, the head 7 being secured to the shaft A and the barrel E turning on a hollow stud, 40,projccting centrally from the head 2 of the case, and the latter is bent to an angle conforming to the angle of the axis of the barrel to that of the shaft A.

Instead of placing the governor at one side, as in Fig. 1, it is arranged centrally within the barrel E, which is cut away at its inner end to leave a chamber, for the free play of the governor-levers 18, the short arms of which bear on shoulders of the rod 20, extending through the barrel and through an axial bore in the stud 40.

The rod 20 turns with the barrel E, and is free to slide therein in accordance with the movement of the levers 18, being forced upward when the levers or governor-weights 18 are thrown out by centrifugal force, and it is counteracted by a spring, 2]., bearing on the valve-stem 42, which slides through the adj ustable block 41 and carries the throttlevalve ll, controlling the flow of motor-fluid to the engine-cylinders through the inlet-port 12, the escape-passage being arranged accordingly.

It will be observed that in both forms of my invention shown in the drawings the governor and its shaft are arranged parallel with the axis of the barrel in which are formed the engine-cylinders. This enables me to arrange the parts very compactly and to inclose all the moving parts within the case Instead of the ball-and-socket bearing, as shown in Fig. 1, I may use another form of bearing for one part upon the other at the point of intersection of the axis of the two parts. Thus in Fig. 2 I show a universal joint, 15, constituting both a bearing and flexible connection between the two.

It will be evident that double-acting engines may be substituted for the single-acting engines assembled to revolve around a common center.

In order to assist in regulating the relative positions of the engine-barrels and the disk, and to hold them in properposition while the engine is at rest, I have found it advisable to connect them in some suitable manner, as by one or more strips, 50, of flexible material, one end of which is secured to the end of the barrel and the other end is secured to the face of the revolving disk or head 7, as by a screw, 51. This tends to maintain the parts in line and prevent disarrangement by jars or shocks, so that when the engine is started the barrels and disk will be in proper alignment.

It is obvious that the construction of the parts may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of my invention, and I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown.

\Vithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, I claim 1. The combination of a series of reciprocating engines connected with each other and revolving around one axis, a revolving head at an angle to the said axis and connected with the piston-rods of the said engines, a governor and a governor shaft arranged parallel with the axis of the said engines and connected with one of the said revolving parts to control the flow of motor-fluid to the engines, and a case which surrounds all of said parts, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the revolving engines, barrel E, inclined revolving head 7, connected with the pistons of the engines, and a governor connected by a flexible shaft with said head, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the series of reciprocating engines connected to revolve arounda common axis, a revolving head at an angle to the said axis and connected to the piston-rods of the engines, a revolving block connected with one of the said revolving parts to be driven thereby, the L-shaped levers carried by said block, a reciprocating rod against which said levers bear, and a valve connected With said rod controlling the steam-passage to the engines, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the series of reciprocating engines connected to revolve around a common axis, a revolving head at an angle to the said axis and connected to the pistonrods of the engines, a revolving block, 16, mounted adjacent to the said head and connected thereto by a flexible shaft, a reciprocating rod mounted parallel with the axis around which theengines revolve, connected to move the governing-valve, and the levers carried by the said block connected to reciprocate the said rod as the speed of the engines varies, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the series of engines connected to revolve around a common axis, of a frame having a chamber, 00, a ring provided with inlet'and outlet ports mounted in the said chamber and having the shoulder or offset 1), whereby the ring is held against the heads of the revolving engines by the steam-pressure, and the steam and exhaust passages in the frame, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the series of revolving engines, the inclined head 7, provided with a shaft, B, the piston-rods connecting the engines with the said head, the case inclosin g the said parts, and a removable cap having an inclined bracket wherein is mounted the shaft of the said head, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAB-EA F. SHAVVHAN. 

